Recently, we read “A Modest Proposal” by Dr. Jonathan Swift one day in class. We started reading the essay because we are learning a bit more about satire. Throughout the essay, there are several examples of satire. In order to find out if the essay had a satirical tone to the essay, the reader has to look for certain characteristics. Some of the characteristics of an essay with satire in it are a comedy type of piece, application of all the devices of rhetoric (language and the way that it’s spoken), hyperbole, figure of speech, using over statements and/or understatements, irony, wit, sarcasm, allusion, and juxtaposition. Juxtaposition is two dissimilar items, descriptions or ideas being compared close together or side by side. There are two different types of satire essay, one type is horatian and the other type is juvenalian. The horatian type of satire essay is when it is gentle, smiling, kind, the reader has sympathetic laughter, sees the world honestly, is not destructive, and meant to be reflective. On the other hand, the juvenalian type of satire essay is biting, angry, shows the corruption of human beings and institutions with contempt, is intolerable, can sometimes be perceived as enraged, and has huge doses of sarcasm and irony. Satire is usually used in persuasive essays, as opposed to argument essays in which do not really on pathos for support. In the beginning of the essay “A Modest Proposal” by Dr. Jonathan Swift, the satire is not really noticed. As the essay progresses, however, the satirical devices become quite apparent. Once the reader come upon the second page, the satire becomes quite apparent in the fact that Swift begins to talk about how some “gentlemen” eat their children, or other people’s children. At the very beginning of the second essay, Swift writes that, “…a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked or broiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricaise, or a ragoust.” Later on in the essay, he writes that, “Infant’s flesh will be in season throughout the year…” which is quite odd because Swift uses the words “in season” as if the infant’s flesh is like a fruit or vegetable and is in season for a particular period of time in the year. In the next paragraph, Swift writes that, “..no gentlemen would repine to give ten shillings for the carcass of a good fat child,” as if eating children was something to be coveted and desired. Throughout the essay, the word “gentlemen” is used even when describing the people who are participating in the act of eating these poor children. This is quite significant because what he writes about in the essay of the cannibalism it seems as though he’s saying it as a classy thing, only for the rich and powerful. Later on the in the essay, Swift uses the word “justify” which is really surprising diction because how can one come close to even thinking of justifying the act of eating all those perfectly innocent children. Shortly after Swift uses the word “justify”, he writes that, “…when any young person happened to be put to death, the executioner sold the carcass to persons of quality, as a prime dainty; and that, in his time, the body of a plump girl of fifteen who was crucified for an attempt to poison the Emperor, was sold to his imperial majesty’s prime minister of state..” This statement shows that even though this girl was convicted of trying to kill the Emperor, she still ended up in the inner circle of the royalty where she apparently intended to poison the Emperor. Later on in the essay, Swift writes about the six advantages to his “modest proposal.” The first advantage that Swift writes about is that his modest proposal would greatly lessen the number of Papists. The second advantage that Swift writes about is that the poorer tenants will have something valuable of their own, which by law may be made liable to a distress, and help to pay their landlord’s rent. The third advantage Swift writes about is that the nation’s stock will be increased fifty thousand pounds per year due to a lesser amount of money spent on maintaining children. The fourth advantage Swift writes about is the gain of money to the “breeders” because they could sell the children that they produced for money. The fifth advantage that Swift writes about is the food would be better. The last advantage Swift writes about is that his modest proposal would be a great inducement to marriage. Those are all the examples of satire throughout the essay.
